We can lead, inspire, and direct; but not force

 

We can be positive influences in the lives of other people. We have the ability, especially when we have the respect of others, to get them to go in the right direction. However, we don’t have the ability to make decisions for them.

The ability to make our own decisions is a privilege and responsibility we each possess. These are God-given things. Our founding fathers even recognized this in the Declaration of Independence when they talked about our rights to liberty. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” With this statement they recognized that we each have the ability to make our own decisions. They also recognized that it’s the way things should be. Many societies in the past, and even today, have demonstrated the failed model of having a dictatorial form of leadership. When people have decisions forced upon, and made for them, it not only leads to a dark, dank, depressed economy and society; it leads to a suppression of the human will. This is what the Soviet Union produced. People had nothing greater to aspire to because the decisions were already made for them. There was a ceiling placed on their achievements. And people become depressed when they don’t have hope for a future that’s greater than their past.

Great leaders have the ability to, not only lead, but to give hope and point people to something greater than they already possess. They also point people to something greater than just themselves. If they can get people to look at something outside of just themselves, it’s like a light shining through to pierce the darkness of that society. That’s because it gives people a sense of purpose. But what great leaders also knew was that they could only inspire and point people in the right direction. They couldn’t force them in the right direction. Presidents like Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and John F. Kennedy Jr. had this ability. They weren’t negative people. They were positive. And while they acknowledged the challenges they were facing, they weren’t overcome by them. They were in a sense saying, “Come on people. We can do better than this.” And that’s the difference-maker: getting people to envision something greater. When people get stuck and can only see what they’ve always had, and what they’ve always known, they need someone to come alongside and encourage them. They need someone to help them believe that things can get better; that they can do better.

I believe we each have this ability. We all have the opportunity, at some point in our lives, to help someone else re-adjust their focus and get them pointed in the right direction. Most likely someone else has done that for us at some point. So, in a way, when we do that for someone else, we’re just returning the favor.

 

…Let’s go deeper

When we think about pointing people in the right direction, Jesus did this better than anyone else. He didn’t make decisions for anyone, but He tried to help them make the right decisions. He told them what the right decisions were.
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AV John 14:1: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Jesus spoke to people, and inspired and directed them, by showing them where to look. He spoke words of encouragement to them by starting with, “Let not your heart be troubled.” Then He directed them to look to Him. It starts by us looking to Him

AV John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Jesus helps us make the right decisions by directing us. By commanding us to love one another as He loves us, He was wanting His light to spread to others through us. That’s how we become the light of the world. Jesus said that He is the light of the world in John 8:12. Then He says that we are the light of the world in Matthew 5:14. By letting His light shine through us we can help pierce the darkness of this world and be a light unto others. We are that light when we point others to Him.

AV Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” Jesus directed us by showing us how to petition God. God wants us to ask Him for things. The important point being that He is our source. Often we can become distracted and think that our job is our source, or other people are our source. But God is our source for all things. Jesus reminds us of God’s willingness to give us good things when we ask Him for them.
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AV 1 Peter 2:9: “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” Peter Inspired by reminding the Church of who they are. By reminding the Church of who they are, He also reminded them of their purpose. We as the Church, are meant to show forth the praises of the God who called us out of darkness and into the light. And we are to inspire others to look to the light.

AV Proverbs 27:5:”Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.” Sometimes people need to be directed by correcting them. This Proverb states that fact. There are times when we need to directly point out people’s errors. Jesus did this, along with the Apostles, and especially Paul in his many writings to the Churches. But while we have the ability to lead, inspire, and direct, we can’t force others to make the right decisions. That’s a power each of us alone possesses. Ultimately, we each have to decide for ourselves the direction our life will take. It’s also a great privilege we have; pointing others to the light. And seeing others choose the light can be the most inspiring thing.

AV John 14:1: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”

AV John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

AV Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”

AV 1 Peter 2:9: “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

AV Proverbs 27:5:”Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.”

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